OPTIMUM PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS FOR A LARGE-APERTURE AVERAGE POWER SOLID-STATE LASER AMPLIFIER

The effect of a gas cooling system on the efficiency of an average‐power solid‐state disk laser amplifier is addressed. Such a configuration has application in solid‐state fusion drivers. Analytical models are discussed that identify the important parameters in specifying an optimized laser and optimized cooling system. It is shown that the penalty that the cooling and conditioning system power requirements have on the overall laser system efficiency can be easily maintained below 10%, particularly for large‐aperture systems.